The A.1. Peppercorn “monster”-size burger at Red Robin piles two beef patties, cheese, bacon, sauce, fried onions and bread on a single 1,670-calorie sandwich. It’s served with Bottomless Steak Fries – you “can eat as many as you want,” the menu boasts. Wash it all down with a Monster Salted Caramel Milkshake and you’ve consumed as much in one meal as you should in two days.

The health toll: The whole shebang totals a mind-boggling 3,540 calories. That includes 3 days’ worth of saturated fat (69 grams) and a 4-day supply of sodium (6,280 milligrams). Add to that ¾ cup of sugar – it's like eating 7 McDonald’s Double Cheeseburgers with a quart of Coke, the CSPI notes. You could work off the calories by taking a brisk walk – for 12 hours.

What to order instead: Red Robin’s single-patty veggie or chicken burgers, without the fatty onion rings and sauce, are “much better for you,” Epstein says. You can substitute a side salad, broccoli or coleslaw for the fries at no extra charge.

We couldn’t find the Big Hook Up Platter (pictured above) on the current menu at Joe’s Crab Shack. But you can still order the Reel Big Catch, a similar fried-food fiesta packed with breadcrumb-coated crab balls cream cheese served with ranch dressing, beer-battered chicken strips and fish fillets, coconut-fried jumbo shrimp, crab-stuffed fried shrimp; hushpuppies, fries, onion strings and coleslaw.

The health toll: The CSPI counted 3,280 calories, 50 g of saturated fat and 7,610 mg of sodium (a 5-day allotment). Burning off these calories would require 11 straight hours on the golf course without a cart or caddie.

“This is the worst seafood platter we’ve ever seen,” Epstein notes.

What to order instead: “If you crave fish, go to a seafood restaurant and order steamed, broiled or baked fish,” Epstein says.

Belly-busting meal #3: Bruléed French Toast
The Cheesecake Factory’s Bruléed French Toast is not for the faint of heart. This breakfast extravaganza is stuffed with 1/4 cup of butter-infused syrup, and can be ordered with a side of bacon or ham. That’s equivalent to eating 14 slices of Aunt Jemima Frozen Homestyle French Toast stuffed with 2½ tubs of Kraft Philadelphia Original Cream Cheese Spread, according to the CSPI.

Belly-busting meal #4: Big Slab
Famous Dave’s Big Slab is a weighty piece of pork. Prepare your stomach for 1-1/2 pounds of spareribs (after the bones are removed), “slathered with sauce.” You get two sides plus a cornbread muffin. Choose the fries and baked beans and you pack more than an entire day’s calories into one dish.

Working off the calories from this meal would require using an old-fashioned lawnmower for 7½ hours straight, the CSPI says.

Belly-busting meal #5: Prime New York Steak Contadina-Style Prime New York Steak at Maggiano’s Little Italy racks up 1,250 calories from the beef alone, the same as downing five McDonald’s Quarter Pounder beef patties, the CSPI notes. “Contadina-style” means you also get two Italian sausages, crispy potatoes, roasted red and yellow peppers, mushrooms, caramelized onions, sun-dried tomatoes, steak gravy and garlic butter, which adds enough calories for four more Quarter Pounders plus a cheeseburger.

The health toll: It’s just meat and veggies, but you’re looking at 2,420 calories, plus 66 g of saturated fat (more than 3 days’ worth) and 5,620 mg of sodium (ditto). You’ll have to hit the rowing machine for 7½ hours to burn this one off, the CSPI says.

What to order instead: “If you crave steak, pick the smallest size they offer and get [leaner cuts such as] sirloin or filet mignon,” Epstein recommends. “And skip the sausage topping!”